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The Impact of the Works of Paul Otlet and Susanne Briet on the Development of the Epistemology of Documentation and Information

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The Impact of the Works of Paul Otlet and Susanne Briet on the Development of the Epistemology of Documentation and Information 11th Biennial Conference of the French ISKO Chapter, Paris, 11-12 July 2017 The impact of the works of Paul Otlet and Suzanne Briet on the development of the epistemology of documentation and information sciences in Poland Barbara Sosińska-Kalata Department of Information Studies Faculty of Journalism, Information and Book Studies University of Warsaw 1. Introduction Purpose: to investigate the influence of Francophone pioneers of the documentation and information science on the development of the epistemological foundations of this discipline in Poland Limitations: attention is paid to the reception of ideas and writings by Paul Otlet and Suzanne Briet - two figures who played a major role in shaping the European concept of documentation and information science the study is mainly concerned with the publications of the most important Polish researchers of the book, the library, documentation and information the search for references to Otlet’s and Briet's works was also performed in contemporary Polish literature of information science, trying to assess the sustainability of their conceptual impact on the epistemological foundations of information science in Poland 2. Epistemology The meanings of the names "epistemology" or "theory of cognition" have changed in history, but they have always covered issues that are considered particularly important, even basic. Generally, epistemology is a division of philosophy that deals with human cognition – its object its content ways to know borders of cognition criteria for cognition. Epistemology vs methodology Epistemology has both descriptive and normative dimensions: it describes the processess of knowledge creation and their results, i.e. forms og knowledge and its properties it indicates the conditions of the desired, optimal course of cognition In the normative dimension, epistemology is closed to methodology – it investigate the methods that are actually adopted at various historical stages of investigation into different areas with the aim of systematizing the presuppositions of a particular field at a particular time. In relation to the specific sciences their epistemological and methodological bases are considered together. This is also the approach applied in this presentation. Basic epistemological questions in documentation and information science What kind of knowledge is accepted? 1) How is knowledge gained and justified? 2) How is knowledge presented? Is it in the form of scientific laws, one general theoretical theory or many detailed theories combined, for example, to try to solve some practical problem? 3) What does knowledge mean, what does it say? 4) What knowledge is supposed to serve, what is the purpose of cognition (world description, explanation, prediction, practical application)? Two basic espistemological paradigms in D&IS based on positivistic (modernist, neo-positivist) epistemology and methodology based on phenomenological or interpretative epistemology and methodology 3. Epistemological aspects of the work of Paul Otlet Paul Otlet (1868-1944) is known as the founder of European Documentation. Otlet's most important achievements: organizational efforts in creating a global documentation network (IIB,IID, Mundaneum), new methods and tools for representation and sharing of knowledge (standardization, UDC and Repertoir Bibliographic Universel, etc.) theoretical work in which he systematically and comprehensively presented his concept of a new approach to providing access to Eric de Grolier as early as 1945 the resources of recorded knowledge and the science that named Paul Otlet a pioneer in supported it, in particular published in 1934 Traité de documentation and international documentation: le livre sur le livre: théorie et practique, which co-operation today is considered as the first monograph devoted to information science. Traité de documentation:Le livre sur le livre. Théorie et pratique (Brussels, 1934) The most distinctive features of Otlet’s conception of documentation science Document as extended category of the book explicitly embedding in the culture of the book the book is treated as the most important vehicle of knowledge in the history of humanity, a material form of positive knowledge enabling its social function three models of the book: ʺbook-organism", "book-mental energy", "book-machine" Positivistic concept of social transfer of knowledge the objective existence of knowledge recorded in documents the laws governing the world of fixed knowledge (bibliographic laws ) description of this world with one general scientific theory that provides a basis for understanding the social functioning of knowledge (culture of knowledge) and to effectively support it through organized documentation activities. 4. Epistemological aspects of the work of Suzanne Briet Briet’s concept of documentation science can be regarded as a kind of development of Otlet's idea enriched by the growing awareness of the role of access to knowledge in shaping modern society. As a professional librarian in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris, she was involved in modernization of the library bibliographic and information services. Briet participated in the founding (in 1931) and in leadership of the Union Francaise des Organismes de Documentation (UFOD) – the French documentation organization Suzanne Briet (1894-1989) She was a leader in developing professional education in documentation in „Madame Documentation” France. represents second generation of European documentation, acting in She was also the vice president of the International Federation of the interwar and in the first decade of the postwar period. Documentation (FID). Qu'est-ce que la documentation? (Paris, 1951) The most distinctive features of Briet’s conception of documentation science Briet continued the Otlet’s thinking of documentation as a practical and research activity that has a key role to play in the development of modern science and society based on the culture of science (scientific culture) shaped by the widespread use of knowledge in social and economic development Document as evidence Any concrete or symbolic indexical sign [indice], preserved or recorded toward the ends of representing, of reconstructing, or of proving a physical or intellectual phenomenon Documentation as cultural technique; documentation science as a metascience Briet emphasizes the indexable nature of documents, and indexing treats as a process that, by indication of indexing links between documents, maps the knowledge contained therein. Positivistic approach with elements of phenomenological Cultural context of documentation and interpretative approach to information epistemology / documentation needs: specialized cultures in researchers in particular domains 5. Reception of Otlet’s concept of documentation science in Poland Otlet’s concepts in the community of Polish engineers Feliks Kucharzewski Stanislaw Rodowicz Otlet’s concept in the works of the Polish theorists of bibliology and bibliography Adam Łysakowski Jan Muszkowski Stefan Vrtel-Wierczyński Karol Głombiowski Krzysztof Migoń Otlet’s concepts in the works of theorist of documentation and information science Maria Dembowska Historical studies The community of Polish engineers: followers of Otlet’s conceptions of documentation practice Professor Feliks Kucharzewski (1849-1935), engineer, historian of technology, and bibliographer of technical literature. On his initiative in 1899 the Library Committee of STP (Polish Engineers Assotiation) was created. The Bibliography and Documentation Section of this Committee represented Poland in IIB Stanisław Rodowicz (1893-1940) - the last president of the STP Library Committee in the interwar period, particularly active in co-operation with the IIB, and then IID. In the independent Poland after the end of the World War I, Rodowicz promoted the organization of the world documentation system and implemented the idea of documentation standards, including the use of UDC as the international classification of technical literature. In 1932 the Polish Engineers Association established the Bibliographic Information Bureau in Warsaw, which in the structure of the IIB acted as the Polish national information center. Otlet’s concept in the works of the Polish theorists of bibliology and bibliography: Adam Łysakowski Adam Łysakowski (1895-1952) - a librarian, library scientist, and organizer of Polish academic and research librarianship – in 1936 published a review of Traité de documentation, describing Otlet's work as "a comprehensive lecture on systematic book science", the evidence of maturity of bibliology (book science), which in a modern way treated the book as any document, "the means of providing or reconstructing thought in all its forms" . Łysakowski treated Traité de documentation as “the first great manual of bibliology”, and in his opinion Otlet was particularly predestinated to write it as “a longtime, enthusiastic pioneer of book-related affairs”. Otlet’s identification of bibliology with documentology (documentation science) was interpreted by Łysakowski as "modern view of our science", because today "the book is as much as any document." In this modern view bibliology / documentology is a "branch of general knowledge about means of communicating and communicating thoughts". Traité de documentation and Otlet's organizational work leading to emerging a worldwide documentation network raised Łysakowski's recognition and strengthened his conviction of the importance of documentation for the development of international
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